In the middle of March Ross and I went on a 6-day backpacking trip in Tasmania (one of the states in Australia). Initially we had been planning on spending a week in Singapore in March, but in early to mid-February the writing was already on the wall in terms of COVID-19, so we cancelled those plans and looked for other holiday options. Rewind to 2016 for a minute. Before we left for the Southern Hemisphere, one of my good friends from Earlham College (who happens to be an avid hiker) told us that, if we got the chance, we should do the Overland Track in Tasmania, since we were going to be down that way anyway. I looked it up and immediately fell in love with the rugged scenery. I shared it with Ross and we have wanted to do it since.
 |
| Cradle Mountain above Dove Lake |
One of the tricks with the Overland Track is that it is incredibly popular. Because of its popularity only a certain number of people (32 individuals and 32 people on guided hikes) are allowed to start on the track on a given day during the summer season (October 1st - May 31st). Normally you have to book 6 months to a year out, especially if you want to go around the holidays. Ross and I were lucky enough to get the last two available spots starting on the track on March 15th, even though we only booked about three weeks out.
 |
| Ross in the alpine section of the track. |
Some basic fun facts about the Overland Track:
- The track is 65 km (40 miles) or 80 km (50 miles) long, depending if you take a ferry from the last hut (Narcissus) or walk along the shore of Lake St Claire. We opted for the ferry but kind of wish that we had walked.
- The walk is designed to take approximately 6 nights (though you can do it significantly faster if you want) and there are designated huts that you have to stay at along the way. All of the huts also have tent platforms, if you don't want to listen to everyone snore in the hut.
- You walk by the tallest mountain in Tasmania, Mount Ossa (1617 metres) and, if the weather is good, you can hike up it.
- There is a ultramarathon that goes along the full 80 km of the Overland Track and the records are 7 hours and 25 minutes for a man and 8 hours and 13 minutes for a woman. Personally, I prefer my plodding pace so that I can stop and smell the proverbial roses.
- The entire walk (and then some) is through a UNESCO World Heritage Wilderness Area.
- Two thirds of the track is on natural surface (i.e. mud, gravel, etc.) and the other third is a combination of planking, duckboard and cordwood.
 |
| Duckboard track through the buttongrass moorlands. |
Back to our trip... Ross and I flew from Melbourne down to Launceston on March 14th. We picked up some last minute supplies and then caught a shuttle to Cradle Mountain. On the ride to Cradle Mountain we saw an echidna (looks sort of like a porcupine but about the size of a football), but didn't get any pictures. We camped in one of the campgrounds by the visitor centre and made sure to treat ourselves to a fancy dinner at one of the lodges before we'd be eating trail food for a week.
 |
| Bennetts Wallabies |
 |
| Wombat |
On the 15th, we picked up our track passes from the visitor centre and caught the shuttle to Ronny Creek, which is where the Overland Track starts. We had learned the previous night (technically we were reminded as I has received an email with this information and then promptly forgot) that the first hut on the track (Waterfall Valley Hut) was closed for repairs this season. To get to the alternate first night's hut, you had to lose a decent amount of elevation, that you would have to regain again first thing in the morning to get back onto the Overland Track. Ross and I decided to skip that and just walked to the second night's hut (Windermere). Because of this, our first day on the trail ending up being 18.5 km (11.5 miles) with the most elevation gain of any day on the track and our packs at their heaviest. We were definitely questioning the wisdom of the decision, particularly in the last 5 km to Windermere, but everyone we talked to said that the hike down to and back up from the alternate first hut was pretty terrible, so I guess that we made the correct decision. Plus, the scenery was AMAZING! While the elevation isn't that high (just over 1000 metres), the terrain is really rugged and the alpine vegetation made both of us feel like we were hiking at elevation in one of the mountain states.
 |
| At the start of the track. |
 |
| Ross walking toward Barn Bluff. |
 |
| Lake Windermere |
Our second day was another long one with 16.8 km of rolling terrain (10.5 miles) (this should have been the longest day on the trail, but we're overachievers apparently). This was another day spent mostly in the alpine terrain with sweeping views of mountains. We eventually made it to Pelion Hut and decided to camp, as the previous night in Windermere Hut had involved a number of snorers and not as much sleep as we would have liked.
 |
| Mount Oakleigh (left) |
 |
| Frog Flats |
 |
| Mountain Rocket |
 |
| Mount Oakleigh |
Our third day we decided to take a rest day. We'd already covered more than half the track and we were beat. Subsequently we spent the day lounging in the sun on the helicopter landing pad (all of the huts had them for emergency), napping and reading. We had talked up doing a day trip up Mount Oakleigh (1386 metres) but resting seemed like a better plan. It was fabulous and just what the old legs needed.
 |
| Hanging out on the helicopter pad with the hut in the background. |
 |
| Sunset on Mount Oakleigh |
Our fourth day was a shorter one, just 8.6 km (a bit over 5 miles) to Kia Ora Hut. From this section of the trail, you can do side trips up either Mt Pelion East (1433 metres) or Mt Ossa (at 1617 metres its the tallest mountain in Tassie). We had been talking about going up either but the day dawned cloudy and by the time we got up to the pass between the two peaks, it was raining, windy and cold. As neither of us was in the mood to get hypothermia, we headed on to the hut. Since it was raining when we got there, we ended up spending the night in the hut and played a bunch of cards with some of the other hikers. Despite the less-than-stellar weather, it was a really nice day.
 |
| Woo hoo for a dry hut! |
 |
| Sign on the way to the toilet at Kia Ora Hut. |
Our fifth day on the trail was an easy, mostly flat 9.6 km (a hair under 6 miles) to Windy Ridge. We tacked on a couple of extra kilometres by walking out to some waterfalls that weren't too far off the track. It started raining as we were leaving the second waterfall and then proceeded to rain for the rest of the day and night. As such, we spent another night in a hut and another evening playing cards with the other hikers.
 |
| Ross and Du Cane Hut (for emergency use only) |
 |
| Great forest day |
 |
| D'Alton Falls |
At Windy Ridge we ran into a ranger who had just hiked in and got our first hint of the state of the outside world. He and I had the following conversation.
Ranger: Where are you heading after this?
Me: To Narcissus Hut (last hut on the track).
Ranger: And after that?
Me: We're taking the ferry and then spending the night at Lake St Claire.
Ranger: And after that?
Me: We're going to Hobart and flying back to Melbourne (I was starting to get a little confused and concerned at this point).
Ranger: And after that?
Me: Um, we live in Melbourne...
Ranger: Oh, you should be fine then. Australia is closing its borders to non-residents and non-citizens on the 20th (the next day) and all international flights are stopping at the end of the month. But you should be able to get back to Melbourne.
Me (internally): Oh dear god, what is going on?!?
So, that conversation definitely destroyed some of the tranquility of the trip. Things hadn't been looking great when we left Melbourne on the 14th, but they hadn't been that bad. Needless to say, we were not super excited to leave the woods and head back into the real world in a few short days. But I digress...
 |
| Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo |
Our last day on the trail, day six, was another comfortable 9 km (5.6 miles) of flatness through the rainforest. It rained off and on but nothing too hard. We had gotten a slow start to the day, so there were a number of other hikers at Narcissus Hut, waiting for the ferry, when we rolled in. Apparently there was mobile reception there (not with our carrier though), so we found out that Tasmania was closing its borders the next day (21st). Endless good news. We ended up staying in the hut again and chatted with the two other couples who were there that night. We also saw a wombat, a pademelon (kind of like a small kangaroo) and a platypus. The platypus was smaller than I would have thought but it was also the first one that either Ross or I had ever seen in the wild, so it was amazing!
 |
| Ross crossing the Narcissus River. |
 |
| It doesn't look like much but that's a platypus! |
 |
| Eucalyptus trees are the best. |
 |
| Morning clouds on Mt Olympus and Lake St Claire. |
The next day (March 21st), we caught the ferry to the south end of Lake St Claire. Originally we had been planning on camping there but we splurged and got a room. Let me tell you, that shower and soft bed were amazing after a week on the trail. Don't get me wrong, the huts were nice but you're sleeping on a wooden platform so it's actually probably worse than the ground.
 |
| Red-bellied Pademelon |
 |
| Looking south down Lake St Claire. |
 |
| Done!! |
From Lake St Claire, we caught a shuttle to Hobart and then got our flight to Melbourne. The Hobart airport is not big by any stretch of the imagination but it was deserted. It was pretty surreal. Ross and I had been in contact with our respective managers once we got off the track and were told to work from home for two weeks, just in case we picked anything up in the airports. It is definitely a surreal time to be alive.
At the moment, Melbourne is not on lock-down. All non-essential businesses are closed but lots of people are still going into work, including all of my colleagues. The university that Ross is at has told all employees that they will be working from home until the end of April. Currently I'm due back in my office on April 6th. Everything is changing so quickly though, so we'll just have to see what happens next.
To end on a happy note, Ross and I adopted a cat from the RSPCA (akin to the Humane Society in the US) at the beginning of March. His name is Cooper and he is just over a year old. He was incredibly shy when we first got him but he's definitely settling in at this point and he's starting to come out of his shell. In the last week, since we've been working from home, he's figured out how to play with the toys we got him, meows (he was silent before), plays on the bed when we're trying to go to sleep and doesn't run away when we walk toward him. All in all, good progress for the little man.
I hope that this finds you all well and staying healthy. All my best until next time.
